How to tell if a Colleague is Drunk
A drunk colleague not only embarrasses themselves, but they embarrass the whole company. They also often put their colleagues in awkward positions because they leave them no choice but to report them. But you must be absolutely sure that a colleague is drunk before you even think about reporting them.
The first and most obvious sign that a colleague is drunk is slurred speech, if they are having trouble getting their words out clearly and they are slurring then they may well be drunk. This also applies to any increase in volume or saying stupid things that they would not normally say.
Watch them when they walk into the room, if they are staggering around or can not seem to walk in a straight line then they may be intoxicated.
Drink seems toaffect different peoplein different ways depending on how they would normally act. If you know how your colleague normally acts then you will be better equipped to notice any changes in character. If they seem more silly or angry then normal then this could be because they have been drinking.
Looking into someone’s eyes is a good indicator of whether they are drunk or not, very often a drunk person will have a glossy appearance to their eyes or their pupils will appear dilated. Be careful when using this to judge whether someone is drunk or not because certain medications may cause similar effects.
Drinking has an impact on your reaction times so if their reaction times seem slower then drinking could be the cause.
Are they struggling with things they would normally find easy? Alcohol effects your motor skills and leaves you unable to perform moderately complex tasks. If you have noticed them struggling then it may be because they are drunk.
If you notice that your colleague is frequently disappearing then they may be going to drink or even to vomit, keep an eye on the amount of times they excuse themselves.
A very simple way to tell whether or not your colleague is drunk is to look at their appearance; a drunk person will often look dishevelled and red in the face. Their clothes will often smell as well, and they may try to hide the smell with aftershave or perfume but it is unmistakable.
Always talk to your colleague before reporting them and if they refuse to admit the truth then consider taking it to management. This may be a one-time thing, but it is against almost all company policies
